Libraries

Libraries

The Libraries of the Big Ten Academic Alliance are aligned in the vision of uniting our separate collections into one collection, shared and fully networked: the BIG Collection. By this phrase we mean a holistic and comprehensive understanding of what a library "collection" is: not simply the things we hold, but our services; our people; our expertise; our technology; and our infrastructure.

In advancing this future of interdependence and excellence, we are guided by our North Star in everything that we do:

In order to advance a just, trustworthy, scalable & sustainable open knowledge ecosystem, make open, more equitable scholarship our lead purpose.

On these pages, you'll find more about the services, programs, and community that are advancing this vision in a principles-centered, mission-driven, values-aligned way.

web accessibility
Library Accessibility Group webinar: Revised ADA Title II in the Library
The slides and recording from the webinar on August 27, 2024 are now available.
Academy Owned Scholarly Publishing Landscape Report
Launched in the fall of 2022, the Big Ten Academic Alliance [BTAA] landscape assessment of academy owned scholarly publishing activities explores the shared challenges and opportunities facing publishing programs and operations within the Big Ten institutions.
big ten open books
Big Ten Open Books
Big Ten Open Books connects readers everywhere to fully accessible, trusted books from leading university presses. Established as a new model for open-access publishing focused on equity and inclusion, we invite you to explore our Gender and Sexuality studies collection.
BIG Collection: Resource Access Policy Harmonization Report
The Resource Access Policy Harmonization pilot team is pleased to share their final report. Aspirational in nature, the report includes the new BTAA Resource Sharing Agreement plus Scanning Standards; reaffirms the Principles and Protocols for Sharing Special Collections within the Big Ten; and articulates important next steps for future pilot projects and working group investigations.

Library News

Big Ten Academic Alliance announces agreement with OA Switchboard

Feb 28, 2023, 13:52 PM

Big Ten Academic Alliance libraries have reached an agreement for OA Switchboard to benefit from the standardized metadata protocol and shared infrastructure provided by this community-led intermediary initiative. This agreement began on January 1, 2023, and runs through December 31, 2025.

Big Ten Academic Alliance libraries have reached an agreement with OA Switchboard to benefit from the standardized metadata protocol and shared infrastructure provided by this community-led intermediary initiative. This agreement began on January 1, 2023, and runs through December 31, 2025.

Under the new agreement, the Big Ten Academic Alliance has made it possible for its members to benefit from OA Switchboard in supporting the transition to open access and to advance the growth of open scholarship. Through this arrangement, BTAA members can receive ‘publication notifications’ from over 24 participating publishers in a consistent data format to enhance their workflows, enable fulfillment of OA publication-level arrangements, and make OA publishing highly visible. It will ease the technical integration with the increasingly complex open access research and publishing ecosystem. Benefits will only grow as OA Switchboard acquires more use cases.

Maurice York, Director of Library Initiatives at the Big Ten Academic Alliance stated, “We are pleased to be able to partner with the OA Switchboard and its community to collectively develop this open infrastructure initiative. Transparency and standardization are key parts of creating a thriving open knowledge ecosystem. Programs such as this move the community closer to a more equitable and sustainable future.”

Yvonne Campfens, Executive Director of Stichting OA Switchboard says: "OA Switchboard supports all OA business models and policies and strives for worldwide representation and collaboration in developing open source solutions and services. We are very happy to have the extensive and diverse group of research institutions that BTAA represents as part of the OA Switchboard initiative and welcome them as they join this supportive and inspiring community."

 

About the Big Ten Academic Alliance

The Big Ten Academic Alliance is the nation’s preeminent model for effective collaboration among research universities. For more than half a century, these world-class institutions have advanced their academic missions, generated unique opportunities for students and faculty, and served the common good by sharing expertise, leveraging campus resources, and collaborating on innovative programs. Governed and funded by the provosts of the member universities, Big Ten Academic Alliance mandates are coordinated by a staff from its Champaign, Illinois headquarters. The fifteen world-class libraries of the Big Ten Academic Alliance members include the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, Indiana University, University of Iowa, University of Maryland, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, University of Minnesota, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Northwestern University, Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University, Rutgers University, University of Wisconsin–Madison, and the University of Chicago.

 

About OA Switchboard

The OA Switchboard is a mission-driven, community-led initiative designed to simplify the sharing of information between stakeholders about open access publications throughout the whole publication journey. It provides a standardized messaging protocol and shared infrastructure that is designed to operate and integrate with all stakeholder systems. It is built by and for the people who use it and is leveraged with existing PIDs.